As Alex Ovechkin closes in on what some considered one of the most unassailable records in NHL history – Wayne Gretzky’s 894 goals – let’s look back at how the wondrous winger ended up in the National Hockey League.

Alex Ovechkin almost stopped playing hockey. Raised in the final years of the Soviet sports system by parents who were already accomplished athletes, Ovechkin was given every chance to succeed and he has evolved into a superstar on the ice.

Ovi is days away from breaking the NHL scoring record while Leonard, a Massachusetts-born, BC star from Pope Francis Prep in Springfield, is set to make his NHL debut in front of his hometown fans, family and friends on Tuesday night. His BC Eagles were eliminated from the NCAA tourney over the weekend.

After a deflating 8-5 defeat at home against the Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin dropped an honest statement as the losing slump extends for the Caps.

Malkin, meanwhile, looks every bit of his 38 years on some nights. He’s out with an injury, and his statistics are a far cry from his Hall-of-Fame standards. Through 62 games this season, Malkin has 15 goals and 46 points, and while those numbers are hardly shameful, Malkin is undeniably in decline.

Alex Ovechkin almost stopped playing hockey. His mother, Tatyana, was a basketball player, his father, Mikhail, was a soccer player and they were traveling with their teams, leaving no one to take ...

He was a very, very bright young man in terms of his goal-setting for his life,” said Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov, who met Alex Ovechkin as a teenager. “He was determined. He was one of the fastest players on the ice,

The Carolina Hurricanes will look to cut into their gap with the Washington Capitals when the teams meet on Wednesday night in Raleigh, N.C.